Chapter 207: Another Encounter with Eri

Faced with the brazen and unruly behavior of these rowdy soldiers, Jamie Foss was utterly livid.

He had never encountered soldiers so blatantly disobedient.

This was no regular army—it was more like a gang of thugs, the kind you'd find serving under some warlord or bandit leader!

Furious, Foss turned to his aides and ordered them to fetch Collins immediately.

He wanted to see for himself whether this group of unruly soldiers was so out of control that they wouldn't even listen to their own commanding officer.

But before the aide could return with Collins, the low rumble of engines filled the air.

From the distance, a convoy of vehicles was rapidly approaching the camp.

It was a fully armed, high-mobility mechanized unit, with tanks leading the way and armored trucks following close behind. Soldiers with rifles sat atop troop carriers, fully prepared for combat.

At the very front of the convoy, perched on top of a tank, was none other than Qin Ming.

When the convoy reached the gate, the soldiers standing guard quickly snapped to attention and saluted. Qin Ming casually nodded in acknowledgment.

"Where's your boss, Beta?" he asked.

"Report, Commander! Beta is distributing equipment to the new recruits!"

"And Shuke?"

"Deputy Commander Shuke is training the new recruits, sir!"

"Alright, got it. Keep up the good work. I'll take you all out on the next operation."

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing this, the guards' faces lit up with excitement. They quickly stepped aside, clearing the way for the convoy.

As the tank rolled forward, Qin Ming glanced to the side.

His eyes locked onto Jamie Foss, who was staring at him with a stern expression. Qin Ming blinked, then turned to one of his soldiers and asked:

"Hey, who's that old man? Didn't I say not to take just anyone in? Can this old fossil even fight on a battlefield? What if he keels over out there?"

At this remark, "Old Foss"—aka General Jamie Foss—turned purple with rage.

Before the Hound soldiers could respond, a loud shout came from behind Jamie Foss:

"Hey, boss!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Qin Ming quickly turned his head.

Amid the crowd, he spotted a familiar figure waving enthusiastically at him.

It was none other than Eri Kasamoto, his loyal "little sister," a demolition enthusiast who had grown up running with street gangs.

Having returned to her original world, she was now one of the main protagonists of the Metal Slug universe.

Dressed in military uniform, she was grinning ear to ear as she energetically waved him over.

Seeing her, Qin Ming's eyes lit up, and he immediately jumped off the tank.

"What are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Boss! Did you miss me?"

Before Qin Ming could respond, Eri launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and clinging to him like a koala.

Laughing gleefully, she hugged his neck tightly.

After greeting him, she hopped down and grabbed the arm of someone standing nearby.

"Come on, boss! Let me introduce you! This is my good friend, Fio! Fio, this is the big brother I told you about—Hyena!"

Standing next to Eri was a young woman also dressed in military uniform. Unlike Eri's wild demeanor, this woman exuded a calm and scholarly air, thanks in part to the large round glasses perched on her nose.

Fio Germi, one of the four main protagonists, smiled politely and extended her hand toward Qin Ming.

At first, Fio had been suspicious of this so-called "big brother" that Eri had suddenly started praising over the past few days.

Eri had never mentioned him before, and now she was suddenly singing his praises non-stop. Fio couldn't help but wonder if her carefree, blonde, and occasionally ditzy friend had been duped by some con artist.

But now, meeting Qin Ming face to face, Fio realized he seemed quite reliable.

Not only was he a soldier, but he was also an officer, and he looked rather impressive.

Most importantly, his troops were audacious enough to openly defy her father—General Jamie Foss.

It was clear that this man had real guts.

"Hmm, I'll give him a passing grade," Fio thought, her cheeks faintly blushing. "Sixty points, no more. Don't want him getting too full of himself."

Quickly withdrawing her hand, Fio adjusted her glasses and stood silently to the side.

Qin Ming, wearing his sunglasses, stared at the bespectacled woman in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed.

That was because this female protagonist, Fio Germi, already had a 530-point favorability rating toward him...

The title's choice of a plot-relevant character had appeared.

This choice wasn't exactly surprising—it was both within expectations and completely logical. After all, there weren't many prominent female characters on the side of the regular army. Eri Kasamoto was already one of his people, and thus didn't even need to be chosen. That left only this bespectacled girl, Fio.

As Qin Ming scrutinized Fio with a frown, the sound of footsteps suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

The man referred to as "Old Foss," none other than General Jamie Foss, approached with a stern expression. His tone was sharp, practically brimming with hostility.

"So, you're the commander of this band of army thugs?"

Hearing this clearly unfriendly remark, Qin Ming's face remained impassive as he slowly turned his head to look at the old man.

"And who are you, Old Man Scallion?"

"I'm... Jamie Foss, five-star general!"

"And I'm MacArthur, Emperor of the Stars!"

"You—!"

"You what? I'm not one of your soldiers! Get out of my way! Don't interfere while I'm catching up with someone!"

"You—!"

Despite revealing his identity, Jamie Foss was still met with a sharp retort. His face turned an unhealthy shade of purple.

As one of the most senior figures in the Federal Army, Jamie Foss held considerable prestige and influence.

Anyone who served in the military bent over backward to curry favor with him, hoping to catch his eye and earn a promotion.

Yet here was someone who didn't give him the slightest respect!

How dare this man speak to him like that? Did this fool not care about his military career?

Just as Jamie Foss stood there seething with rage, Qin Ming suddenly froze mid-thought.

As he looked at Fio, he noticed something peculiar.

While he was busy roasting the "old scallion," Fio's favorability rating had gone up by 20 points!

What was going on?

Could it be that this seemingly quiet and reserved protagonist actually had a dark side? Did she enjoy watching conflicts?

Or perhaps she had some sort of personal grudge against this "old scallion"?

Before Qin Ming could make sense of the situation, more footsteps approached from a distance.

Major General Collins, who had been summoned, finally arrived with his entourage.

Seeing the commander of the frontline troops finally show up, Jamie Foss, still simmering with anger, seized the opportunity to lash out.

"Major General Collins! Look at your men! Look at the kind of soldiers you've brought up! What have you been teaching them?!"

Hearing this, the panting Collins, who had hurried over as quickly as possible, glanced at Qin Ming.

His heart skipped a beat.

It didn't take much for him to figure out that something big had gone wrong.

Seeing the furious look in Jamie Foss' eyes, Collins gritted his teeth and suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs:

"Hyena! You've gone too far! This is a Federal General! Apologize to him at once!"

Hearing this, Qin Ming blinked in disbelief. He slowly raised a hand to adjust his sunglasses and stared wide-eyed at Collins.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on Qin Ming's side exchanged glances before silently leaping off their vehicles.

In unison, they surrounded the scene in an intimidating formation.

Even the tank barrels and the machine guns mounted on the vehicles quietly adjusted their aim—all pointed at Jamie Foss and his men.

The sudden shift in atmosphere brought a tense silence over the scene.

(End of Chapter)